Steam-heating hose-coupling with automatic draining-valve principally for railway-trains.



V. BIRD.

STEAM HEATING HOSE COUPLING WITH AUTOMATIC DRAINING VALVE PRINCIPALLY FOR RAILWAY TRAINS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.6, 1911.

Patented Oct. 28, 1913.

d E i 4 k e I d 2% H D 6 o nu v mm 'W o m m m m w VILMOS BIRG, OF BUDAPEST, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

ESTEAM-HEATING HOSE-COUPLING WITH AUTOMATIC DRAINING-VALVE PRINCIPALLY FOR RAILWAY TRAINS.

a ,ovavaa Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 28, 1913.

Application filed January 6, 1911. Serial No. 601,187.

To all whom 2'15 may concern 4'? Be it known that I, VImiosBm, subject of the King of Hungary, and resident. of Budapest, Austriad lungary, have invented a new and useful Steam-Heating Hose-Coupling with Automatic Draining-Valve Principally for Railway-Trains, of which the following is a description.

The present invention relates to improvements in couplings used for connecting the heating pipes or hoses betweenrailway cars or carriages. For this purpose usually a pipe fitting in the form of an elbow is used. This elbow consists of a short bend through an angle of more than 90 with its vertex directed downward, whereby a pocket is provided, from which the water of condensation can be easily carried away. For the purpose of automatically draining the coupling, heretoiore usually draining valves have been employed, in which the valve proper with its spring are arranged in a valve casing, which projects downward from said elbow, and is connected therewith by providing said elbow with a downwardly extending extension, having outer screw threads, meshing with the inner screw threads of an enlarged sleeve-like portion of the valve casing. One

of the serious defects of this construction consists in that the water of condensation is caused to pass through the downwardly projecting valve casing, which, owing to the fact that it is exposed to weather changes, is apt to permit of the freezing of the water of condensation, and to prevent thus the draining valve from performing its purpose for a considerable time. Another defect of this construction consists in that the sleeve-like portion of the valve casing is of considerable size, and can be easily unscrewed by hand it it becomes slightly loosened, and can thus be easily detached from the coupling by unauthorized persons. Furthermore it is apt to be lost when loosened by the vibrations of the train.

One of the objects of the invention is to obviate these defects, or to reduce the same to a possible minimum.

With these and other objects in view, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter fully described, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying draw= ings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportion of the several parts and minor details of con struction within the scope of the appended claims without departing from thespirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the in vention.

Two of the many possible embodiments ol the invention are illustrated in the acconr panying drawings, in which Figure l is a vertical sectional view taken through a hose, coupling constructed in accordance with the present invention; F ig. 2 is a front elevation of the automatic drain valve with its guide; Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken through a modified construction; Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the drain valve employed in the construction shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a similar View of this latter valve, the parts being shown in other positions; Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken through the valve shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a similar section taken through the guide out said valve; and Fig. 8 is a front elevation of a, detail 0t construction.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the character A indicates a pipe fitting in the form of an obtuse angled elbow, the vertex of which is directed downward, and the branches B, B of which are connected with the steam heating pipes or hoses. in the suitably reinforced bottom U of the elbow is provided an aperture all, around which is arranged a conical valve seat a for a conical valve 6. Guide ribs 0, attached to or made integral with the valve 6, are slidably arranged in the aperture (Z. The upwardly extending valve stem 6 projects through a centrally arranged opening in the bottom f of a tubular valve guide 7. In the guide fis arranged a spring g,bearing against the bottom 7' of the wuide and against a nut h, which meshes with threads upon the upper end of the valve stem e. The guide f is provided with external screw threads 6, meshing with the threads of an o ening in the web D of the elbow. To taci itate the turning of the guide f, the latter is pro vided upon its upper end with a polygonal head 7.:, below which is arranged a flange t, which bears against the upper surface of the web D for providing an airand watertight joint.

It will be observed that the valve guide f together with the valve and its spring constitute av completely assembled un I web D and between the branches B of the elbow A, it cannot be turned by hand, but requires for its operation the employment of a wrench. Unathorized removing of the guide and the valve is thus prevented.

Since the valve seat is formed in the elbow itself, it is obvious that the water of condensation collected in the elbow passes easily along the shortestpath between the ribs 0 through the aperture (Z out of the elbow, so that the possibility of the freezing of the water in the coupling and the possibility of the valve being fixed to its seat is reduced to a minimum.

The operation of this device is as follows: the spring 9 tends to retain the valve 6 in Its position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, that is in its open position. As soon as steam is admitted into the elbow, the pressure will force the valve 2) onto its seat a. The steam is thus prevented "from escaping through the aperture (i. As soon as the supply of steam is out off, the steam in the coupling will be condensed; the pressure will consequently be reduced, permitting thereby the spring 9' to act and to unseat the valve. The water of condensation which accumulates in the elbow A can easily flow thus through the aperture d out of the elbow.

In Figs. 3 to 8, inclusive, of the drawings a modification of the invention is shown, in which the valve together with its spring can be removed from its guide without taking the latter apart. In this modification the bottom f of the guide is provided with a slot and the distance between the side walls of the guide is larger than the width of the nut 71, upon the upper end of the valve stem'e, as clearly shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings.

The normal positions of the parts are shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings. If, after the guide with its valve has been removed from the elbow A, it is desired to disengage the guide from the valve, the latter is drawn against the action of the spring downward into the position shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, whereby the stem 6 can be easily disengaged from the slot 7 in the bottom f of the guide, the head It passing through the openmg between the walls f. The ids and valve can then be easily cleaned or repaired, and assembled by the reversed operations.

Often foreign matter collects between the coils of the sprin g or in the valve guide, and thereby inter eres with the proper operation of the guide, or it becomes necessary to grind the conical valve. For these purposes a ring m is provided, which passes through an aperture in the ribs of the guide 0. By means of this ring, the valve can be easily turned and shaken to disengage the foreign matter therefronn'or it can be drawn against itsseat and rotated, whereby the valve seat will be reground. The ring m may either be made detachable, or its diameter may be such that it can be easily drawn through the aperture (Z in the elbow A.

It is to be observed thatthe construction of the, valve and its guide may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which resides mainly in forming the valye seat in the elbow A, whereby the valve with its guide can be inserted into the elbow from above.

What I claim is j 1. In a coupling'for steam heating hoses,

the combination with an elbow provided with an outlet in its bottom portion around which a valve seat is formed and with an opening in its top registering with said outlet. of a stationary valve guide held in said opening projecting downward toward said outlet, a valve shiftably arranged upon said guide, and a spring within said guide for keeping said valve off said seat in the absence of steam pressure, said guide, valve and spring being adapted to be inserted as a ,unit into or withdrawn from said elbow through said opening.

2. In a coupling for steam heating hoses, the combination with an elbow provided with an outlet in its bottom portion around which a valve seat is formed and with a screw threaded opening in the top of said elbow registering with said outlet, of a substantially -cylindrical stationary valve guide provided with screw threads meshing with the threads in said opening projecting downward toward said outlet, a valve shiftably arranged upon said guide, the diameter of said valve corresponding substantially to that of said guide, a spring within said guide for keeping said valve off said seat in the absence of steam pressure, said guide, valve and spring being adapted to be inserted as a unit into or withdrawn from said elbow through said screw threaded opening, and means attached to said guide and arranged outside of said elbow for facihtating the insertion of said guide into or its withdrawal from said elbow.

3". In a coupling for steam heating hoses, the combination with an elbow provided with an outlet in i'tsbotdom portion around which a valve seat is formed and with an opening in its top registering with said outlet, of a stationary valve gulde held in said opening projecting downward toward said outlet, a valve shiftably arranged upon said guide, a spring within said guide for keeping said valve off said seat in the absence of invavae steam pressure, guidin ribs attached to said valve projecting t rough said outlet outside of said elbow, and means carried by said guiding ribs for drawing saidvalve on itsseat against the action of said spring and for facilitating the rotation of said valve relative to its guide, said guide, valve and spring being adapted to be inserted as a unit into or withdrawn from said elbow through said opening.

4. In a coupling for steam heating hoses, the combination with an elbow provided with an outlet in its bottom portion around \vhicha valve seat is formed and with an opening in its top registering with said outlet, of a substantially tubular stationary valve guide held in said opening projecting downward toward said outlet, said valve guide being provided with a disk at its bottom having a slot extending fromits peripheral portion toward and beyond its center and with longitudinal recesses in its cylindrical wall, a valve stem projecting through said slot into said guide, a stop upon the upper end of said stem of a Width substantially less than that of each of said recesses, a spring bearing against said stop and against the inner surface of said disk,

and a valve carried by said stem, said valve having adiameter corresponding to that of said guide said guide, valve and spring be ing adapted to be inserted as a unit into or withdrawn from said elbow through said opening. I

lln Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

VILMOS BIRO. Witnesses:

CHARLES Sinner, HUGH KEMIENY. 

